I have always loved writing, for as long as I can remember. All this week I have had a constant need to write. Sometimes it’s just gibberish, then there are times when I read back what has been written and I’m amazed, thinking, whoa where did that come from! Today however as I sit down to write all I can think about are the three TV shows I watched this morning! All three were about food, and if you know me well enough you would probably be rolling your eyes by now and thinking, well of course! One of the shows was set in Malaysia, the second was mainly in Tasmania and the third was in England.

All three programs had me reminiscing about my visits to these places and the food that I enjoyed, which I remember fondly to this day. In Malaysia it was the Char kway teow, Nasi goreng, Roti canai and the Chinese food at the Pink Tablecloth. In Tasmania, I remember the seafood, cheese and fried dim sims at Port Arthur. Lastly England, well there is some wonderful food in this beautiful country, but as a child my one memory, which still inspires a child like wonder is the lolly (or sweets) round at Burton Markets. For an eleven year old they were eye poppingly, mouth wateringly wonderful.

While all three places remind me of the foods I enjoyed while there, I also can’t help but think of the people who shared these times with me. The people and the food added together make for very happy recollections, and as I reminisce my smile widens and my heart feels lighter

While thinking about food memories I suddenly have pictures of my school lunches, the good and the not so good! However no matter how bad the lunches may have seemed back then, I can’t help but laugh now.

In Australia we always brought our lunch to school or had a lunch order. So on the very hot days my cheese and jam, tomato and cheese or salad sandwich needed an ice pack inside my lunch box, keeping it relatively fresh. Unfortunately I didn’t always have anything frozen in my lunch box, which reminds me of the cheese and jam sandwich on the 35-degree day!! I also have a memory of me aged six, and one of my male classmates sharing his biscuits with me, giving me a kiss on the cheek as he ran off to play with his friend!

I wonder what the children today would be eating for lunch, will they have an icepack in their lunchbox on the hot days, and does their school have lunch orders? With our ever health conscious ways, I wonder how lunch orders have changed? Finally, will the lunches children eat now at school bring back good memories, especially when they are adults thinking about what to take to work for lunch themselves?

I am very grateful for the many cuisines I have eaten over the years. Sometimes the different foods I have tasted are because of my travels or a TV show I watched or food my parents or friends cooked. No matter what, I feel they have made me the very curious cook and adventurous eater that I am.

3 Responses to Tantalizing Tastebuds and Memories.

My school lunch standard – vegemite sangers (sometimes with cheese too), a packet of sultanas, a cheese stick and a carton of juice – seemed to survive whatever the weather. I was always envious of others who got crisps and chocolate in their’s…